Washington Middle School program encourages love of reading

She’s got cable at home, but Kassandra Dilley couldn’t care less where the remote is.

She’d rather read a book.

“I read a lot more than I watch TV,” said Kassandra, a seventh-grader at Washington Middle School in Springfield. “I guess it’s kind of odd for a kid my age.”

Educators at Washington are encouraging all students to embrace reading the way Kassandra has through its Million Word Club, an initiative launched five years ago in response to low reading scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test.

Every morning, students at Washington are required to read a book for 16 minutes before starting any other activities. Another 20 to 30 minutes are set aside in language arts class, and students are encouraged to read 30 minutes after school.

So far, Kassandra leads the pack by a wide margin at 7.6 million words — or 68 books — read. More than 150 students are expected to eclipse the million-word mark by the end of the year.

Making an impact

Teachers and administrators say the program has worked.

Forty-five percent of students met or exceeded Illinois learning standards in reading on the ISAT in 2006. That figure has since climbed to more than 60 percent in both 2011 and 2012 — but it still lags behind state averages.

Washington, like every other schools in the state, saw a dip in reading scores last school year due to a statewide change in the standards of what is considered being proficient in reading.

Thirty-one percent of students met or exceeded standards last year at Washington. However, Sherry Daniels, chair of the language arts department, said in-school tests showed there has been improvement year to year.

“If you want to get better at basketball, you practice basketball; volleyball, you practice volleyball; running, you go running,” Daniels said. “If you want to get better at reading, you have to read.”

How the program works

Students don’t have to count words on the page to keep track of how many they’ve read, said Melissa Beckler, a language arts teacher at Washington.

The school takes part in Accelerated Reader, a program that tests students on books they’ve read.

If the student passes, then the computer automatically tallies how many words were in the book and adds the number to the student’s total, Beckler said.

Daniels said the Million Word Club creates an extra incentive for students to read. Every student who reaches 1 million words gets a T-shirt, takes a field trip to the YMCA on Springfield’s west side, and gets to pick out a free book at Barnes & Noble.

The rewards are courtesy of donations from Midtown Rotary Club, Marine Bank and Illinois National Bank.

The school also tries to find other ways to encourage students to read, Daniels said. Washington takes part in the Real Men Read program, which brings in well-known men in the community, such as pastors and former athletes.

Daniels said teachers also try to introduce students to books they would enjoy. As a result of students reading “The Hunger Games,” the school now has an archery team, she said.

Ultimately, the challenge is changing the perception about reading, she said.